Summer has arrived! Well, sort of...

We've had all kinds of crazy weather in the Netherlands in the last few weeks, rainy and cold days followed by tropical temperatures followed by thunderstorms and hail. You can never really put away your sweaters and boots but you want to keep your summer dresses and sandals at hand!

And just in case the planets align and a warm, beautiful day comes along and you want to head out to the beach or the pool, you want to have a roomy bag and cute (and practical) accessories handy:

Large Shoulder Bag - Engine Red & Polka Dots

The small zipper pouch is perfect to hold you telephone, wallet and keys and the large wet bag very convenient to stash in wet bathing suits and clothes (and dirty diapers?).

I'll be adding a few more bags in the next week so make sure you check the shop for updates!

And we are back!

I can't believe it's February already. Where did January go?! Anyway, we are back and buzzing with plans and ideas for new projects and dreaming about Spring! 

Unfortunately, it's still pretty cold and gray in the Netherlands, so to cheer myself up I decided to use some beautiful floral prints and bring a little Spring to my studio:

Large Frame Clutch - Plum and Pink Vine on Natural

Cluch in Floral Navy, Marigold, Turquoise and White on Natural

You can find all new listings in the shop!

Happy October!

October is here and there is definitely a chill in the air reminding us that cold weather is just around the corner!

To celebrate the new season and making the most of the local fabric market, here are the new additions to the shop, in a cozy felted wool:

I'll be adding more bags and pouches in different fabrics and styles in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned!

Have a great weekend!

b*lota now available at Shak-Shuka!

I am so pleased to announce that the new b*lota sandwich+snack bags and eco wet bags are now available at Shak-Shuka, an über cool eco boutique. You can find them under the Out&About section!

Shak-Shula has a wonderful selection of clothing, toys, decor and care items for babies, kids and mamas, all environment friendly and stylish.
Check out the shop here!

b*lota is Going Wholesale!

Well, not exactly. I do have a wholesale order for re-usable snack bags and wet bags on which I have been working in the last few days. I can't wait for it to hit the virtual shelves of this super cool, eco-friendly boutique! 
More details to come soon.

Summer Inspiration

With the hot weather finally arriving in Holland, and after our family weekend by the seaside, beach has been on my mind a lot! And so I decided to put my inspiration to good use and make a versatile summer bag.

I used a funky laminated cotton print - a remnant, so this is truly a one of a kind bag! I lined it with a complementing turquoise cotton fabric with white polka dots an d added a zippered pocket.

It is a big bag and waterproof, making it not only great companion for the beach or pool but also later in the year, when the rain comes, for shopping.

Available on my Etsy shop.

Guerilla bagging!

The 4th International Morsbagging day is this Sunday and I am very keen in participating! The idea is that you "sew like mad to make as many lovely morsbags to hand out as possible - perhaps organise a local group for courage, support and joy, and handout free morsbags to locals wherever you are in the world......"

I have set aside some funky and sturdy fabrics and I am hoping I will have time this weekend to make some pretty cool Morsbags which I will give away to assorted friends and family members. 

If you are interested in joining, head on over to www.morsbags.com and read more about this initiative. You can also just download the pattern and start sewing!!

(image via: www.morsbags.com)

Last sewing projects of the week!

These have been two incredibly productive weeks and I have managed to produce quite a few things that have been on my to-sew list for a while! 

The last two projects to be ticked of my list were a camera cozy for my new camera and a eco-friendly make up case.

The Camera Cozy: 

My brother gave me, a few weeks ago, a camera as I had been complaining that ours was too bulky to carry around with me all the time. As with most cameras, this did not come with a case!  Have you noticed how the cameras are always so cheap but then you have to get the memory card, and the case and in the end you spend double the amount you thought you would!o?
Well, this time, instead of buying an ugly generic one, I decided to make my own.

I went online and found this tutorial from Sew Mad and was all set!

The instructions are very detailed and easy to follow. I skipped the quilted look and replaced the velcro closure with a snap and I have to say, I really like the result. It didn't turn out perfect but it makes up for its faults by being super cute!

The Make-Up Case:

I know I keep tooting my own horn, but this make up case turned out adorable! And environment friendly, no less!

It's a basic zippered pouch, with boxed bottom and hot pink Michael Miller fabric. The lining is made from an Oeko-Tex certified waterproof fabric that will allow me to wipe it clean with a damp cloth when it gets make up smudges all over it.

As a final touch, I added one of my brand new labels, fresh off the printer. But more on that later...

This closes my sewing week. Now I need to start planning as there are presents to be made and not much time to do it, before we head out to New York and Lisbon!